Man United Alex Ferguson retiring at end of season

FILE - This is a Sunday, May 22, 2011. file photo of Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson as he waves to fans ahead of their English Premier League soccer match against Blackpool at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. Alex Ferguson will retire as manager of Manchester United at the end of the Premier League season after 26 years in charge of the storied club, the team said Wednesday May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
— AP

FILE - This is a Sunday, May 22, 2011. file photo of Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson as he waves to fans ahead of their English Premier League soccer match against Blackpool at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. Alex Ferguson will retire as manager of Manchester United at the end of the Premier League season after 26 years in charge of the storied club, the team said Wednesday May 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
/ AP

Tributes crossed the political divide, with Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, a member of the Conservative Party, praising Ferguson for his "enthusiasm for our national game."

Ferguson has defined the modern era of success at United, resuscitating the fortunes of a club that was floundering when he arrived more than a quarter of a century ago, having won a European title at modest Aberdeen in Scotland.

While it took time for Ferguson to impose his leadership at Old Trafford, directors showed a degree of patience rarely afforded to current managers.

Ferguson eventually produced his first trophy in 1990 - the FA Cup - and in 1993 the club won its first topflight title since 1967.

Since then, he has turned United into a European power and one of the world's wealthiest sports clubs. In addition to Champions League titles in 1999 and 2008, United has also won four League Cups and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup.

"In my early years, the backing of the board, and Sir Bobby Charlton in particular, gave me the confidence and time to build a football club, rather than just a football team," Ferguson said. "Over the past decade, the Glazer family have provided me with the platform to manage Manchester United to the best of my ability."

Before United was listed on the NYSE last year, the club warned that "any successor to our current manager may not be as successful as our current manager."

"A downturn in the performance of our first team could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain coaches and players," United said in July.